1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the treatment of wounds, and in particular to an apparatus for applying compression to a wound dressing to maintain contact between the dressing and a patient's skin for a treatment such as negative wound pressure therapy.
2. Background of Related Art
Wound dressings are generally placed over a wound to protect and promote healing of the wound. One type of wound dressing consists essentially of a thin membrane or cover layer formed of a polymer or similar material. An underside of the membrane may be coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive to adhere the dressing to healthy skin surrounding the wound. The dressing may thus provide an effective bacterial barrier to protect the wound from contamination. Because of their extremely elastic nature, thin polymeric film dressings may readily conform to irregular contours of a patient's skin while promoting patient movement and comfort. This type of dressing may also be sufficiently transparent to permit visual inspection of the wound without the need for removing the dressing and exposing the wound to contaminants in the environment.
One technique to use a membrane cover layer may be described as negative wound pressure therapy (NWPT). The membrane layer may be positioned to form a substantially fluid-tight seal with the skin surrounding the wound to define a reservoir over the wound where a negative pressure may be maintained. The reservoir subjects the wound to a sub-atmospheric pressure to effectively draw wound fluid, including liquid exudates, from the wound without the continuous use of a vacuum pump. Hence, vacuum pressure may be applied once, or in varying intervals depending on the nature and severity of the wound. This technique has been found to promote blood flow to the wound area, stimulate the formation of granulation tissue and encourage the migration of healthy tissue over the wound.
The evacuation cycles of an NWPT treatment may subject the dressing to repeated changes of size and shape, tending to cause the dressing to become detached from the skin. Leaks may also form between the skin and dressing due to extraordinary patient movement, or when the wound is located on a part of the body where adhesives do not work well. For example, a body portion populated with dense body hair, wrinkled, oily or contaminated skin may prove to be a challenging location to maintain a fluid tight seal with an adhesively coated membrane layer. Any unintended leaks can frustrate the effectiveness of an NWPT treatment. Accordingly, an apparatus to supplement the adhesion of a dressing would be beneficial.